By Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–The government has officially opened the Amandayehan Port, effectively establishing the shortest alternate route for heavy vehicles that were barred from crossing the currently structurally defective San Juanico Bridge, linking Leyte and Samar islands.
The Amandayehan Port at Brgy. Amandayehan in Basey, Samar is now operational, accommodating cargo transportation of heavy trucks via ro-ro vessels crossing the San Juanico Strait between Leyte and Samar.
The opening of this port came after the Department of Public Works and Highways-Region 8 (DPWH-8) completed emergency upgrading works of the site: clearing of obstructions, improving access road, constructing a 17-meter port platform with a 28-meter ramp, and installing mooring structures.
Leading the launching of the port, after inspection of the newly upgraded facilities, were Transportation Secretaru Vince Dizon, and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago.
Dizon said the port’s opening is a significant step toward addressing current transportation issues caused by the 3-ton load restriction in crossing the San Juanico Bridge, which authorities said is beleaguered now with structural defects.
Dizon is pushing for a 24-hour barge operation between the ports of Basey, Samar, and Tacloban City to alleviate persistent long queues of cargo trucks barred from crossing the bridge. Before the port upgrade, only two shipping companies were serving the route but on a limited 12-hour schedule, resulting in the backlog.
Dizon, aside from inviting other companies to provide more services, ordered the Coast Guard to install navigational buoys along the strait to facilitate safe nighttime Ro-ro operations to achieve the 24/7 service.
The Amandayehan-Tacloban route is a new shipping lane that complements existing ones, significantly reducing travel time to 15 to 20 minutes, including loading and unloading.
Opening this shortest alternate route for heavy vehicles across Leyte and Samar attests the government’s concern on the well-being of the people in Eastern Visayas and regional economic life. Dizon added that it also underscored PPA’s commitment for the development of Amandayehan Port in Samar.
Together with Dizon and Santiago, on port launching day, were PPA-Eastern Leyte Port Manager Kahlil Lamigo, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Region VIII Director Cheryl Pascua, DPWH-8 Regional Director Edgar Tabacon, Assistant Regional Director Ma. Margarita Junia, and officials of the Philippine Coast Guard and other concerned agencies.
During the press conference by the Communication Cluster of the Task Force San Juanico, Tabacon clarified to the media that the imposition of the bridge restriction was not sudden but rather borne out of a strong recommendation from engineering experts after a series of thorough inspections of the bridge.
Tabacon said it was a move to prevent further damage to the bridge and to make it partially operational after sustaining much damage over the years. The DPWH provided a chronology of events leading to the bridge restriction on May 15, 2025.
“We cannot risk the bridge collapsing, but we would not want its full closure either. So, a load limit was immediately imposed as recommended,” Tabacon said, after showing photos of the bridge baring the real situation underneath.
The DPWH still awaits funds for the emergency repair of the bridge and is targeting its load capacity to 33 tons within five months of rehabilitation work. —Miriam G. Desacada